Lever-fastening for bands



Feb. 7 19.39. G. T. WALKER LEVER FASTENING FOR BANDS Filed Dec. 3, 1936Patented Feb. 7, 1939 LEVER-FASTENING FOR BANDS Gilbert Thomas Walker,Birmingham, England Application December 3, 1936, Serial No. 113,947 InGreatBritain January 18, 1936 3 Claims.

. This invention relates to lever-buckles or leverfastenings for bands,straps andxthe like, such, for example, as are used in connection withstocking suspender bands, truss bands, brace webbing .and the like, toenable the effective length of the band or webbing to be adjustedaccording to requirements, the band or webbing being adapted tobe heldin the position desired by means of the lever.

The object of the present invention is to provide a lever-buckle orlever-fastening of an improved and simplified construction having meanswhereby the adjustment of the band or webbing is considerablyfacilitated.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing representsa front view of alever-buckle or lever fastening constructed in accordance with this in-..vention, showing it applied to the band or webhing.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the lever-buckle or fastening with thereturn-end of the band or webbing in section.

Figure 3 is .a side view of the fitting with the lever in itsturned-down or clamping position.

Figure 4 represents a front view of the leverfastening without the bandor webbing, the lever being in its raised position; showing the lowerhinged gripping barwhich is provided, the said gripping bar being turnedforwardly.

Figure 5 illustrates a cross-section on the line "5-5, Figure ishowingthe fitting applied to the band.

Figure 6 represents a similar cross-section but with the lower grippingbar turned back, and the lever in its turned-down position.

Figure '7 is a cross-section on the .line Figure 4, with the fittingapplied to the band.

Figure 8 is a cross-section similar to that shown in Figure 7, butshowing how the lower gripping bar is turned back by the pull on theband.

Figure 9 is a front view of a modified form of lever-fastening.

Figure 10 shows a further modified arrangement.

Figure llrepresents a vertical section on the line li -l E, Figure 10.

' Figure 12 is a front view showing a third modi- "fication of theinvention.

Figure 13 is a front view showing a fourth modification of theinvention.

' Referring to Figures 1 to 8 of the drawing, the improved lever-buckleor lever-fastening comprises a rectangular metal'frame support I formedfrom a single length of circular-sectioned wire, the upper portion ofthe frame being bent forwardly, as shown. The opposite ends of thefframeare inwardly offset near the middle at- Z, and connecting together-thesaid inwardlycranked portions of the frame is a fixed cross- ,4a tosurround the said fixed cross-bar.

band, suspenderband or the like.

with this bent up part. .thetop edge .of the angularly-movable grippingbar 3 to which is connected a gripping bar or narrow gripping plate 4for co-operating with the lever member 6 of the'fitting by gripping theband thereagainst. The said lever member is hing-edly mounted upon thetop bar lm of the frame l and is formed from a single sheet metal blankshaped or bent up to provide two front gripping parts 8 with toothedlower edges l1 and set upon opposite sides of a forwardly-bent middlepart constituting a finger-piece 9 for turning the lever angularly aboutthe top bar of the frame. The lever B is pivoted to the said top bar bycurled-over rear edges disposed immediately behind the front grippingparts 8, and constituting hinge sleeves l0, whilst disposed betweenthese hinge sleeves is a broad integral tongue portion I2 which isdirected first rearwardly and substantially horizontally (assuming thelever to be in its operative or turned-down position) and then downwardsand forwardly,

the tongue, which is thus given a rounded hook shape, lying at the rearof the front gripping parts 8 of the lever and partly behind the toothededge portions of the gripping bar or plate 4 .to; the fixed cross-bar 3,the lower edge of the gripping bar or plate 4 being curled into a sleeveThe opposite ends of the hinged gripping bar 4 are provided with lateralprojecting lugs, stops or extensions I 3 which project beyond the endsof the frame I and constitute stops, as well as -means for enabling thegripping bar 4 to be moved angularly by hand when desired. These lugs orstops l3 by engaging the frame I limit .the angularmovement of thegripping bar 4, the

latter when in its normal position lying in a substantially verticalplane, as shown in Figures 6 and '8, the arrangement being such that itmay be moved forwardly about its lower edge intothe position shown inFigure 7, leaving a wide gap or clearance between its upper edge 8 andthe lever for the passage of the main part of the band or webbing M,which may be a truss The returnend of the band i4 is attached to thelower bar ila of the frame, the gripping bar 4 being spaced from thesaid'lower' bar of the frame by a slot or clearance 5. The gripping bar4 is limited Iinits forward movement by the bent-up middle part or stop30. of thebar 3 upon which it is mounted. This limiting is effected byengagement of the bar 4, as it rotates on the bar 3, The middle portionof bar 4 is formed with a forwardly-bent toothed part It disposedopposite or below the rolledover middle part I2 of the lever, whilstdisposed at the top edge of the gripping bar 4, at each end of theforwardly-directed toothed middle part it, is a pair of large projectingprongs or sprags l7 and I8 set in different planes, as shown in Figures'7 and 8, the prongs or sprags lying close to the hinge-sleeves It atthe ends of the lever 6 when the gripping bar is turned back into theplane of the frame.

The object of hingedly mounting the gripping bar 4 and providing it withthe prongs or sprags H and I8 at opposite ends in the above manner is toenable the band or webbing l4 to be temporarily held after adjustment,prior to the turning down of the lever 6. To adjust the band or webbing,the gripping bar 4 is turned forwardly by the projecting lugs l3 atopposite ends, which may be held between the finger and thumb, leaving awide clearance or aperture between the bar 4 and the lever 6, said leverhaving been first moved into its inoperative position. The band orwebbing l4 may now be pulled down through the aperture. The said band,however, engages against the prongs H and I8 of the gripping bar 4 andany pull on the band in a direction which tends to loosen the latter,that is in an upward direction, causes the gripping bar 4 to be movedangularly rearwards (unless the same is positively held in its forwardposition) and the band is then engaged successively by the prongs l1 andI8 and is gripped between the said prongs and the hinge sleeves ID ofthe lever, the band being consequently held in its adjusted position,although the lever B is not turned down. When the lever is finallyturned down the band 14 is also held between the front gripping parts 8of the lever and the forwardlyset toothed middle part l6 of the grippingbar, the curled-over tongue 9 of the lever 6 pressing the bandrearwar-dly over the said middle part of the gripping bar. The band orwebbing I4 is thus securely held or clamped in an efficient manner.Although the prongs or sprags l1 and I8 on the gripping bar 4effectively prevent the band or webbing from slipping out of itsadjusted position prior to the turning down of the lever B, the saidband or Webbing may be easily slackened and moved between the lever andthe gripping bar, when desired, if the latter is held by hand in itsforward position by means of the projecting lugs I3 at its oppositeends.

The arrangement illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawing is substantiallythe same as the above described, the frame being shown at la but the topedge of the hinged gripping bar 4a, is provided with a forwardly-bentmiddle part [6a, with a straight edge 6m, for co-operating with thelever 6a to hold the band or webbing in its fastened position, whilst ateach end of the gripping bar 4a is a pair of forwardly-directed teeth[8a, with an upstanding tooth Ila, shaped as shown, at each side of thestraight-edged middle portion Mia. The teeth Na and l8a engage with theband, so that a pull on the latter turns the bar into line with theframe la and thus temporarily holds the band against the hinge-sleevesIlla of the lever prior to the latter being turned down into itsclamping position.

In the construction shown in Figures 10 and 11 the frame is indicated atlb and, the end extensions, or stops [3b of the hinged gripping bar 4bare curved, as shown, the bar having a set of forwardly-directed teethI612 at the middle and upstanding teeth or sprags Nb and [8b adjacenteach end, the teeth [81) being carried by the curved end extensions orstops l 31) of the gripping lever more closely into its grippingposition. Or

the curled-over or hook-shaped rear part I20 of the lever 60 may becorrugated or roughened in any suitable manner, so as to provide a goodgripping surface. It may, for example, be formed, as

shown in Figure 13, with a series of small projections 20c extendingover a portion of its area, or over its entire outer surface. Thecurled-over part may be bent to any suitable cross-sectional shape. V

Having fully described by invention, what I desire to claim and secureby Letters Patent is:--

1. The lever-fastening for bands comprising a frame, a band-engaginglever on the frame, hinge-sleeves at opposite sides of the lever, ahinged bar on the frame below the lever and constructed and arranged tocooperate with the hinge-sleeves to hold the band when the lever is inan unfastened position, band-engaging sprags at eachend of the hingedbar disposed below the hinge-sleevesin different planes, and a.

forwardly-directed gripping edge on the hinged bar separating the spragsat opposite ends of the latter. 7

2. A lever-fastening for bands comprising a frame having top and bottombars, an intermediate bar carried by the ends of the frame, a lever onthe top bar of the frame, a curled-over rearwardly extending part on thelever, a front finger-piece onthe lever, a toothed band-engag ing parton the lever on either side of the front finger-piece, a gripping memberhinged on the intermediate bar of the frame, stops on the frame andhinged gripping member for limiting the angular movement of the latterin directions towards and away from the frame, sprags disposed indifferent planes at each end of the hinged gripping member forco-operating with the lever of the frame, a curled-leverrearwardly-extending part on the lever, a hinge-sleeve on each side ofthe rearwardly-extending part of the lever, a finger-piece at the frontof the lever, a front toothed part on either side of the-finger-piece, a

gripping member hinged on the intermediate bar of the frame, stops onthe frame and hinged gripping member for limiting the angular movementof the latter in opposite directions in relation to the frame, spragsdisposed in different planes at each end of the hinged gripping memberadapted to co-operate with the hinge-sleeves of the lever to hold theband when the lever is in its unfastened position, and aforwardly-directed part separating the sprags for engaging and holdingthe band when the lever is in its fastened position.

' GILBERT THOMAS WALKER.

